So as not to bury the lede: it was announced today by e-mail that Tom Daly IS running for AD-69. So where do we stand now?

With a 76.14% Latino population and 52.6% Latino voting-eligible population (a discrepancy that is a story in itself), the chicken-shaped Assembly District 69 is the most Latino state legislative district in California. The field of potential winning candidates for what will sometimes be known here as “El Pollo Local” is now most likely set: Orange County Recorder Tom Daly is in.

I’m on record as endorsing Julio Pérez of Anaheim and the Orange County Labor Federation (from which he is on leave) in this race, but I have no animus towards Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez or Tom Daly (with whose father I am friendly here in the OC tundra north of the 91.) So, today — the day when an e-mail has been circulated indicating Daly’s intention to run — is a day to be (mostly) even-handed. Who is endorsing whom — and which list of endorsers, if you were running in El Pollo Local, would you prefer to have? (Note that Daly’s list is fresh out today, while the other two are a month or so old, so direct comparisons are tricky. But one goes with what one has.)

A few points of interest in the lists below:

First, I’m treating the presence of a name on a list as an “endorsement.” Some “endorsers” (as I term them) may quibble with that. This post will give them the chance to do so.

Second, I’ve boldface-italicized the names of two endorsers, Jose Solorio and John Hanna, simply because they are taking a step that at one time might have been confusing: endorsing two candidates. How do we interpret this, in a sure-to-be Democratic seat with three candidates running? Well, in our brave new “top two primary” system — “it’s Abel Maldonado’s world, we just live in it” — endorsing two of the three candidates may be seen as non-endorsing the remaining one. So, apparently Jose Solorio is supporting the “not Julio Pérez” party in this race and John Hanna is with the “not Michele Martinez” party. They will not be alone in those parties, before all this is done, and the “not Tom Daly” party will probably be well-represented as well.

Finally, aside from Solorio, I see four clearly Latino names (out of 40) on Daly’s list. Which would be worse: if he asked other Latinos but didn’t get their endorsements for this district — or if he didn’t even ask? Are the leading Santa Ana Latinos in government really willing to support an Anaheim Anglo over a Labor Latino, in the event of a Daly-Pérez runoff? That could shake up Santa Ana politics, if they did.

Here are the major candidates, in order of their announcements for office, from their respective “kick-off event” flyers:

Julio Pérez (Sept. 15 kick-off event):

[Note: Joe Dunn’s endorsement of Perez was announced as this article was nearing publication.]

About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose worker's rights and government accountability attorney, residing in northwest Brea. General Counsel of CATER, the Coalition of Anaheim Taxpayers for Economic Responsibility, a non-partisan group of people sick of local corruption.
Deposed as Northern Vice Chair of DPOC in April 2014 when his anti-corruption and pro-consumer work in Anaheim infuriated the Building Trades and Teamsters in spring 2014, who then worked with the lawless and power-mad DPOC Chair to eliminate his internal oversight.
Occasionally runs for office to challenge some nasty incumbent who would otherwise run unopposed. (Someday he might pick a fight with the intent to win rather than just dent someone. You'll know it when you see it.) He got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012 and in 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002.
None of his pre-putsch writings ever spoke for the Democratic Party at the local, county, state, national, or galactic level, nor do they now.
A family member co-owns a business offering campaign treasurer services to Democratic candidates and the odd independent. He is very proud of her. He doesn't directly profit from her work and it doesn't affect his coverage. (He does not always favor her clients, though she might hesitate to take one that he truly hated.)
He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.)

This is one race where I suspect that all three candidates may be far preferable to many of their most ardent supporters. None of the candidate need — or at least should want — cheap shots at one another to win. (In fact, the top-2 primary is supposed to punish alienating one’s allies — after all, a Republican /could/ make the runoff here with 20% or so of the votes.)

and the LOC claim to be neutral in the race still … of course they’ll always ridicule Michele just because Art’s in her corner.

I’m still tilting toward Julio who seems the more progressive choice, although
1. I was disappointed with the vagueness of some of his answers when I interviewed him (I’ll follow up in a few months) and
2. I met Michele the other night, and she’s nowhere near as dumb as the people who hate her say. I’ll be doing a MM article soon..

She’s not dumb. My preference is not based on “Michelle is bad,” but on “Julio is great.” I’d hate to invite weight jokes, but it’s about gravitas.

Look at her endorsers’ list. How many of those people will really bust their humps for her? Solorio is hedging his bet with Daly. Pulido isn’t — but how unhappy would he be with Daly? (That may be the most telling interview to get!) He may think that it would be a bad career move for him to endorse an Anaheim Anglo — but after the push to get Sarmiento, Tinajero, and whoever else to run, he strikes me as being more of the “not Julio” faction than the “let’s elect Michelle” faction. That’s to Julio’s credit, in my book.

The saying goes de gustibus non est disputandum, but disputo. Maybe we can get Mighty Quinn in her for a woman’s view, so this isn’t just a matter of the male gaze. Can we agree that the one you linked is a lot better than the one I complained about?

I hope ALL of you dems hop on the “Occupy Whatever” bandwagon to oblivion. That train is goin’ nowhere. This is EXACTLY the thing Reeps need to showcase the idiocy of the so-called progressive left. Love it – yahoo!!

They said the same thing about the Tea Party. I could handle that lack of success. So what’s idiotic about complaining that the wealthy are looting the country without a care for the vast majority? I hope you defend it as much as you can.

Scott Lay lists Robert Hammond as the Republican who will run. With his “Faith, Family, Freedom, and Atrocious Plastic-Looking Neckties” platform, I’d think that he’ll have a lock on the Republican vote and maybe the gay-haters too.

Loretta’s usual approach is the support whichever Democrat wins the primary. My guess is that she stays out of it until June; maybe longer if two Dems go to the runoff.

I’d think that Amezcua pere goes with Jose unless there’s some solidarity among former challengers to Pulido.

Michelle can’t seek Alvarez’s vote after the conflict on council. What good what it do Julio — or even Daly? Does Alvarez direct a bloc of some kind?

I am not practiced in the art of Pedrozology.

What Lou does — that raises an interesting question. Lou is surely closest in ideology to Daly. But: supporting Daly means saying that the most Latino district in the state, one more or less drawn to elect a Latino, should be represented by a center-right Anglo. Would Lou do that? Should Lou do that? It would be one thing if Julio or Michelle were corrupt, but they aren’t.

This is why I wish that Daly had not aimed for this office. There is a good place in OC politics, but this is a divisive choice.

In English: Let Michelle run build name recognition; She becomes a shill, but then throws her support to Perez, wrapping up the vote. In the meantime she keeps her seat, is placed on a list for a “bright” future. This policy/position was blessed by the Dunn/Sanchez/Barbaro camps. Of concern was the sideways flow of cash that may do Julio some good.

First, in the interest of reviving the American economy, could you just say what you think decided the race on March 15 and save everyone the snipe hunt? Does this have to do with the new Clooney movie?

As for your theory: I don’t buy it. Admittedly, I am not invited to meetings on that level, but what exactly would be in this arrangement for Daly, if the fix is in for Julio? And if Frank Barbaro is somehow in on such a fix, why did he just endorse (or “endorse”) Daly but not the others? It doesn’t make sense.

I’m happy for Julio to win, I’m happy for Michelle to be regarded as an up and comer, but this theory would have made a lot more sense if Daly had decided not to enter the race.

I realize that if you actually know something secret here you can’t reveal it, but as it is I don’t see what the Consultants supposedly would have done that would lead to Daly’s announcement.

This is NOT a fix, this is politics as usual in California. On March 15. Several party leaders along with representatives of “Major” stakeholders (unions, banks oil companies, telcoms and booksellers) met to discuss the landscape.

This was what was discussed. It’s no big secret. This is EXACTLY what Claudia DID NOT do……wait her turn.

Whether the canidate is Julio, Tom Daly or some other hand picked canidate doesn’t matter.

These are the same individuals that made Nicole Parra. My point is if Michelle Plays, she could end up there, should she not…………

You don’t have to be an “insider” to see how this came about. Just be astute.

I think Barbaro is a waste. I think that he is an old man with old thoughts and should get a YOUNG AGGRESSIVE replacement and mentor him/her. Instead he holds on to the three seats he has. The party leadership at the state level appear to be content but, not for long. When ego gets in the way of production……..you lose.

Much blogging about nothing, considering that OrangeCounty legislators in the Assembly accomplish nothing – have no clout and are viewed as a joke.Look at Spitzer, Norby, Solario – what a waste. Good place to send someone we want to get out of the way and who cannot do damage, I guess.

Daly has some baggage in his wake: the useless $50K Sports hall of fame consultant (Brett Barbre) who then contributed $1,000 back to Daly, and worse, the utterly wasted $2.1 million on a worthless building at 433 W. Civic Center Drive. The County CEO Mauk tried to cover that up with his usual lies, but the building still sits there, three and a half years later, a silent, yet eloquent testament to Daly’s incompetence.

The Board is now sniffing around Daly’s misuse of Fund 12D. The slug Lucy Dunn will try to cover for Daly but people at the County are getting tired of looking the other way.

What’s funny is that a year and a half ago Daly dropped out of the Supe race to play catch with his son. Now hw wants to go to Sacramento? What a load.